Should You Publish in Spanish?

As of the 2000 Census, at least 18 percent of the population spoke a language other than English at home—47 million people then and no doubt even more now.

Spanish is the most common language besides English in the United States, and studies suggest that more than one-third of Latinos prefer bilingual publications (for more information, see Marketing to Latinos: A Guide to the In-Culture Approach by Isabel Valdes). That isn’t surprising, since the Census found only half of Latinos report that they speak English “very well.”

As a result, bilingual publication is on the rise among marketers looking for broad reach. According to the International Federation of the Periodical Press, for example:

Big advertisers … upped their spending on Spanish-language advertising across an array of media in the first quarter [of 2007], with Procter & Gamble’s budget growing 8.3% to $39.8 million, Sears up 29.2% to $16.9 million and Walt Disney up 13.2% to $17.7 million. In 2006, the total market rose 14.4% … to $5.9 billion.

Knowing your audience is the most important consideration in deciding whether you can reach them most effectively in their native language. Local businesses often know their customers, and can obtain more detailed information for their communities from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

Corporations that sell to farther-flung audiences can tap the expertise of the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies, particularly the Association’s analysis of media usage, consumption data, and population estimates, which it uses to produce recommended spending targets by product category for advertising aimed at Hispanic audiences.

Translating English-language materials into Spanish requires specialized skills. One translation firm, Strictly Spanish, rightly cautions against using the person in your office who took Spanish in college, or spent three months in Spain, or grew up speaking Spanish in Mexico or Puerto Rico. Spanish idioms vary from Spain to Mexico, the Caribbean to South America. A professional translator can give you materials in a neutral Spanish free of local idioms and vernacular. If you want your publications to have the same impact on your Hispanic customers as they do on your English speaking customers, you will have to pay to get it right.

Finally, you may save on design and printing by developing bilingual publications rather than separate Spanish and English ones. Spanish text typically runs about 30 percent longer than English text, however, so plan accordingly.